Stray Dog saves woman's life

It's sort of a bittersweet story because the owner of the dog signed him over to the shelter for escaping from the yard too many times! Sheesh, what's a dog gotta do to get and keep a home??? Be a hero??? Well, meet Hero.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16952774/?GT1=9033

What's a dog have to do..lol!

That's sad - but I'm glad he'll get better owners. What a wonderful dog.

Way to go hero!

KrisNine said:

It's sort of a bittersweet story because the owner of the dog signed him over to the shelter for escaping from the yard too many times! Sheesh, what's a dog gotta do to get and keep a home??? Be a hero??? Well, meet Hero.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16952774/?GT1=9033

Click to expand...

What a beautiful dog--inside and out! I saw this on TV today, and the first thing I thought was that big boy needs to be tested for SAR potential. I am glad that Heidi, the trainer is able and willing to do that. If she wasn't, and Hero didn't have 50 people so far who want him, I would have gone there to see if I could adopt him myself. It is not that he is a GSD, and I have GSD's. And it is not just that I do K9 SAR. It was his phenomenal behaviour, and I wanted to be sure that such a wonderful animal would have a happy life. I know I can't save them all, and one person can only do so much. But, Hero's story touched me. Kudos to you, Hero boy, and may your life be filled with love and a new family.

As for the family who signed him over to the shelter because they could not keep him from escaping--AFTER they learned he was a hero? I am beyond tired of hearing this as a reason to throw away an animal. As a trainer I get calls routinely from people who don't care enough about their dogs to teach them, neuter/spay them, try to understand their behaviour, provide a healthy, loving environment for them, and be committed to their care. I am sorry if I sound intolerant and harsh; but, I have heard of, seen or known dogs killed at shelters(euthanized) or suffer and/or die from abuse or neglect so many times it makes my heart hurt. In fact, for the most part I am taking a break from rescue for my own well being right now.

Lion

Aww, Lion...I know what you mean. I've heard and seen so many bad things about animals that I can't get them out of my head, ever. I'll lay down to go to sleep and they just pop up.

KrisNine said:

Aww, Lion...I know what you mean. I've heard and seen so many bad things about animals that I can't get them out of my head, ever. I'll lay down to go to sleep and they just pop up.

Click to expand...

Thank you KrisNine, and thank you for starting a thread on Hero.

Lion

LionRun said:

What a beautiful dog--inside and out! I saw this on TV today, and the first thing I thought was that big boy needs to be tested for SAR potential. I am glad that Heidi, the trainer is able and willing to do that. If she wasn't, and Hero didn't have 50 people so far who want him, I would have gone there to see if I could adopt him myself. It is not that he is a GSD, and I have GSD's. And it is not just that I do K9 SAR. It was his phenomenal behaviour, and I wanted to be sure that such a wonderful animal would have a happy life. I know I can't save them all, and one person can only do so much. But, Hero's story touched me. Kudos to you, Hero boy, and may your life be filled with love and a new family.

As for the family who signed him over to the shelter because they could not keep him from escaping--AFTER they learned he was a hero? I am beyond tired of hearing this as a reason to throw away an animal. As a trainer I get calls routinely from people who don't care enough about their dogs to teach them, neuter/spay them, try to understand their behaviour, provide a healthy, loving environment for them, and be committed to their care. I am sorry if I sound intolerant and harsh; but, I have heard of, seen or known dogs killed at shelters(euthanized) or suffer and/or die from abuse or neglect so many times it makes my heart hurt. In fact, for the most part I am taking a break from rescue for my own well being right now.

Lion

Click to expand...

Oh Lion, I KNOW! We don't own a dog right now, because we wanted to wait until our girls weren't babies anymore - and now that they are old enough that we could spread the attention around a bit - we are house hunting, so we will not look for a dog until we get into the new house. BUT I've always had dogs growing up and I was the official trainer - I liked to teach them so our dogs always had extraordinary tricks. lol

My sister who has never had a dog (She is much older than me so she didn't live with us when we had our dogs for the most part) adopted a pibull mix puppy (she was 6 weeks) from the shelter bout a year ago and she refuses to properly train her. This dog - is one of the most trainable dogs I've ever worked with. I live in a different state so I only see her once in a while, but I taught her the basics in an afternoon. Even stay. She learned to walk on a leash the next visit - and they (She has THREE teen boys) refuse to use proper techniques for walking - so she pulls them around.

They keep saying they might get rid of her! She does stuff that dogs do when they are sking for more attention and really - we're talking SMALL stuff.

My hardest train was my Rotty I rescued during college. He came from Rottweiller Rescue and he was a year and had been tied up outside and also showed sign of having been beaten (hand shyness) That dog was so sweet bu when I first got him he actually ate my walls - would chew a hole right in the middle of the wall. He would run through the house like a tornado and wreck everything - he was amazingly destructive. He was difficult because of his age, abuse, lack of socialization etc... but he went on to become the best trained dog I have ever had. He even learned to ride a skateboard. To think that he could be such a great dog - and be so resistent to training at first - I can only imagine what this eager to please puppy could do.

It makes me SO sad and angry when they talk about giving up -

I'll bet Hero would run because he needs challeges because of his intelligence and because he was lonley.

This is so awesome! What an amazing dog! Just goes to show our guardians come in many forms!

German Shepards are a great breed for rescue! My own personal experience....when we liveD in GA, my brother and I were alone after school for about a two hour period. I was 14, he was 10. We had a german shepard named Winston. Well, I was in the kitchen cooking hashbrowns. The oil caught fire and flames started shooting out of the pan....Being so young and inexperienced, I put the pan in the sink and turned the water on....flames shot so high they burnt the plant hanging above the sink. My brother started to panic and scream. Winston heard him, ran into the kitchen and bit onto my brother's shirt and pulled him to the door. By that time, I had got the fire out with dirt from the charred plant. But that dog really tried to save my brother...when I think about it even now, I cry. The spirit of an animal and how they love you is priceless!

I can't believe the owner of this "Hero" still put him to the pound after all of this. That makes me really angry, but I'm glad the dog will now have a better life! HOORAY FOR HERO!

wow-- that is so cool. i believe dogs (the smart ones anyway) know a lot more than we really are aware of.

as for people being mad that irresponsbile dog owners give thier dogs up... well obviously there are some homes you wouldn't WANT the dog to stay in... so it's a GOOD thing they give them up in the shelter. i would rather see them get a chance to be tested and offered for adoption (or put down, if they are really hopelessy unsocialized or aggressive) rather than spend their life neglected and chained in a yard.
also,, it never cases to amaze me how in the 21st century so many idiots out there want to give their dog up because 'he won't stay in the yard'-! because- well, DUHHHHH,, he's NOT FIXED! and as the other poster said, lonely and bored... dogs are social animals that want to be with their pack-- not lawn ornaments, or security fences!!!

ember said:

This is so awesome! What an amazing dog! Just goes to show our guardians come in many forms!

German Shepards are a great breed for rescue! My own personal experience....when we liveD in GA, my brother and I were alone after school for about a two hour period. I was 14, he was 10. We had a german shepard named Winston. Well, I was in the kitchen cooking hashbrowns. The oil caught fire and flames started shooting out of the pan....Being so young and inexperienced, I put the pan in the sink and turned the water on....flames shot so high they burnt the plant hanging above the sink. My brother started to panic and scream. Winston heard him, ran into the kitchen and bit onto my brother's shirt and pulled him to the door. By that time, I had got the fire out with dirt from the charred plant. But that dog really tried to save my brother...when I think about it even now, I cry. The spirit of an animal and how they love you is priceless!

I can't believe the owner of this "Hero" still put him to the pound after all of this. That makes me really angry, but I'm glad the dog will now have a better life! HOORAY FOR HERO!

Click to expand...

I grew up with Shepards, my Mum just loved them.

What a great story, totally amazing animals are, go Hero!

Ember, great story, I would cry too years later.................you are right- they are priceless- you can't buy love like that.

Well, I guess you do have to think that the dog is better off without those owners! It's just frustrating because people have so many lame excuses when giving up their dogs. Drives me nuts. I hope that this sweetheart gets the home he deserves

BTW - Have any of you seen the Pedigree dog food commercial with the shelter dogs? Oh, it's a three kleenex commercial.

KrisNine said:

Well, I guess you do have to think that the dog is better off without those owners! It's just frustrating because people have so many lame excuses when giving up their dogs. Drives me nuts. I hope that this sweetheart gets the home he deserves

BTW - Have any of you seen the Pedigree dog food commercial with the shelter dogs? Oh, it's a three kleenex commercial.

Click to expand...

OMG, that one kills me every time! Especially when they say the part that goes soemthing like "I'm a good dog...what am I doing here?" UGH! just kills me!

i am the proud owner of 4 wonderful formerly-homeless critters.. one kitty rescued from the streets, one dog who the owner no longer wanted when she realized a puppy goes to the bathroom, and actually needs attention, training, and doesn't like to be left outside alone... another dog who was found on the streets, never fixed and kept 'getting out of the yard'-- of the rednecks who found him-- who planned on keeping him in the back yard his entire life. he was matted, filthy & flea-ridden, and they were going to pour used motor oil on him to kill the fleas (!?) .. so i bribed them with a $100 bill for him (!)... and a 3rd dog from the shelter who came down with parvo the day after i got her.. so she would have been a goner had i not gotten her out.

that's all i can handle for now.... but i love them to pieces and they are the best, sweetest, smartest critters a person could hope for.
animals are really just like children-- they don't train themselves.. they need loving guidance, structure, socialization and positive reinforcement. not to mention good-quality food, exercise, grooming & medical care. i have spent untold amounts of $$ on all sorts of vet bills.. but i would never use that an an excuse to give them up (even though i really can't afford it and it's made me pretty broke).. because they are priceless.
i've had people say 'why don't you just get rid of 1 or 2 of them?' to which i say--yeah, well, why don't you just get rid of 1 or 2 of your kids?! i could never do that- not only do they adore us and vice-versa, but they all adore each other!

reb said:

i am the proud owner of 4 wonderful formerly-homeless critters.. one kitty rescued from the streets, one dog who the owner no longer wanted when she realized a puppy goes to the bathroom, and actually needs attention, training, and doesn't like to be left outside alone... another dog who was found on the streets, never fixed and kept 'getting out of the yard'-- of the rednecks who found him-- who planned on keeping him in the back yard his entire life. he was matted, filthy & flea-ridden, and they were going to pour used motor oil on him to kill the fleas (!?) .. so i bribed them with a $100 bill for him (!)... and a 3rd dog from the shelter who came down with parvo the day after i got her.. so she would have been a goner had i not gotten her out.

that's all i can handle for now.... but i love them to pieces and they are the best, sweetest, smartest critters a person could hope for.
animals are really just like children-- they don't train themselves.. they need loving guidance, structure, socialization and positive reinforcement. not to mention good-quality food, exercise, grooming & medical care. i have spent untold amounts of $$ on all sorts of vet bills.. but i would never use that an an excuse to give them up (even though i really can't afford it and it's made me pretty broke).. because they are priceless.
i've had people say 'why don't you just get rid of 1 or 2 of them?' to which i say--yeah, well, why don't you just get rid of 1 or 2 of your kids?! i could never do that- not only do they adore us and vice-versa, but they all adore each other!

Click to expand...

Although I've never actually met you....I now know that you are a wonderful person with great karma! Very, very good one you!

My love of all animals is why I just can not eat meat. I look into an animal's eyes and I see a soul that fears, loves, hurts, cares for their young and has a beautiful spirit....and I just could never bring myself to contribute to thier pain for the sake of my satisfaction. Animals, as you said, are like children, they need our love and guidence. Only difference is that when we discipline our animals, they are extremely sorry for the wrong they've done and only want our acceptance. AND they don't talk back!


Here's a few pics of my babies! Tug and Lucy, he's giving her a kiss...she is not thrilled! Tug is a champion bloodline full bred Golden Retriever and Lucy is a Seal Point Apple head full bred Siamese. Love them!


[/img]


[/img]

ember-- they are gorgeous!! and there's nothing funnier than when the dog gives the cat a tonguebath.. LOL. it's amazing to me how dogs accept the cat as part of the family... and not 'prey'.. and treat them as such.
last week when i brought our kitty in for her checkup, i brought one of the dogs along.. and they had kitty up on the table & were looking in her mouth and she was not too happy about it... and my puppy put his paws up on the table with a very concerned & worried look on his face, as if to say, 'you're not hurting her are you?' .....SO cute!

re the discipline.. i agree.. with most dogs you really don't have to do much, as they are already eager to please. i tend to go along with the more relaxed, laid-back kind of discipline- i believe less is more. usually they are looking to you for direction to begin with, and you just have to let them know what's expected (or, not expected) of them. and luckily i have dog who responded well to that so i've never had to be very firm with them.

also people have to remember that dogs will be dogs-- there are certain things that are hard-wired into them (especially certain breed characteristics)- so you have to understand your breed (even i fit's a mix)-- to understand their behavior, and know how to channel that energy. but punishing them for normal doggie behavior- or boredom- is just abusive.

reb said:

ember-- they are gorgeous!! and there's nothing funnier than when the dog gives the cat a tonguebath.. LOL. it's amazing to me how dogs accept the cat as part of the family... and not 'prey'.. and treat them as such.
last week when i brought our kitty in for her checkup, i brought one of the dogs along.. and they had kitty up on the table & were looking in her mouth and she was not too happy about it... and my puppy put his paws up on the table with a very concerned & worried look on his face, as if to say, 'you're not hurting her are you?' .....SO cute!

re the discipline.. i agree.. with most dogs you really don't have to do much, as they are already eager to please. i tend to go along with the more relaxed, laid-back kind of discipline- i believe less is more. usually they are looking to you for direction to begin with, and you just have to let them know what's expected (or, not expected) of them. and luckily i have dog who responded well to that so i've never had to be very firm with them.

also people have to remember that dogs will be dogs-- there are certain things that are hard-wired into them (especially certain breed characteristics)- so you have to understand your breed (even i fit's a mix)-- to understand their behavior, and know how to channel that energy. but punishing them for normal doggie behavior- or boredom- is just abusive.

Click to expand...

Thank you and you are so right! He totally accepts her. In fact he, defers to her....she will lie on his big bed like a queen and barely take a up 1/4 of it, but he doesn't try to invade her, he just lays down on the floor beside of his bed and patiently waits for her to leave, lol! The saying is true....Dogs have masters and cats have staff!

You should be a dog trainer....sounds like you have the patients and understanding that it takes!

ha! well i have patience with my own dogs, & others that are easy... but i dunno how i would do with the challenging ones. that would take a HUGE amount of patience (-and to deal with the owners too!)

Jessiebell said:

Oh Lion, I KNOW! We don't own a dog right now, because we wanted to wait until our girls weren't babies anymore - and now that they are old enough that we could spread the attention around a bit - we are house hunting, so we will not look for a dog until we get into the new house. BUT I've always had dogs growing up and I was the official trainer - I liked to teach them so our dogs always had extraordinary tricks. lol

My sister who has never had a dog (She is much older than me so she didn't live with us when we had our dogs for the most part) adopted a pibull mix puppy (she was 6 weeks) from the shelter bout a year ago and she refuses to properly train her. This dog - is one of the most trainable dogs I've ever worked with. I live in a different state so I only see her once in a while, but I taught her the basics in an afternoon. Even stay. She learned to walk on a leash the next visit - and they (She has THREE teen boys) refuse to use proper techniques for walking - so she pulls them around.

They keep saying they might get rid of her! She does stuff that dogs do when they are sking for more attention and really - we're talking SMALL stuff.

My hardest train was my Rotty I rescued during college. He came from Rottweiller Rescue and he was a year and had been tied up outside and also showed sign of having been beaten (hand shyness) That dog was so sweet bu when I first got him he actually ate my walls - would chew a hole right in the middle of the wall. He would run through the house like a tornado and wreck everything - he was amazingly destructive. He was difficult because of his age, abuse, lack of socialization etc... but he went on to become the best trained dog I have ever had. He even learned to ride a skateboard. To think that he could be such a great dog - and be so resistent to training at first - I can only imagine what this eager to please puppy could do.

It makes me SO sad and angry when they talk about giving up -

I'll bet Hero would run because he needs challeges because of his intelligence and because he was lonley.

Click to expand...

I admire your love and committment you had for your dogs. After you finish with your home and get another dog, that pupster will have a wonderful life with you.

I agree that Hero may have taken off because he was lonely and needed challenges. And, we all know that dog's got it goin' on in the brain and, "drive" department. He may also need his hardware converted to software. Dogs are social animals and pack(family) animals. If they are left alone all day they may take up landscaping, interior and exterior home remodeling, or they may take off to explore other options in the neighborhood--like trash treats, and kitty chase games. Sometimes they form lively gangs and wreak havoc however, harmless their intentions may be.
A bored, lonely dog needs companionship, interaction, and mental as well as physical activity. Like KrisNine said, Hero will be much better off in a home with love--where his needs are met. I hope he tests well for Search and Rescue. SAR dogs have among the best lives a dog could have. They are treated with love and respect, given a job they love to do, and just generally have great lives.

It warms my heart when I hear of good people, like reb who adopt dogs and other pets and give them loving homes. Reb, is your home a pet circus of dancing pups at dinner time and when you first come home lol? By chance have you got pics for the WS photo thread? I would love to see them--if it is not too much trouble.

Best,

Lion

What a wonderful story. My favorite breed of dog is the German shepherd. My hubby wanted one in 1994 and I was scared to get one because of the "police dog" image. I agreed and we adopted Thor (hence my name here, a combination of my boy Thor and my real name, Kim). Sadly, he died at 8 years old of cancer. But, I have a female German shepherd named Sasha that will turn 11 tomorrow, and a boy named Zip, he will be 2 the 13th of this month. I truly love the breed. You can't tell me they are not smart, especially after this story!

Thorkim said:

What a wonderful story. My favorite breed of dog is the German shepherd. My hubby wanted one in 1994 and I was scared to get one because of the "police dog" image. I agreed and we adopted Thor (hence my name here, a combination of my boy Thor and my real name, Kim). Sadly, he died at 8 years old of cancer. But, I have a female German shepherd named Sasha that will turn 11 tomorrow, and a boy named Zip, he will be 2 the 13th of this month. I truly love the breed. You can't tell me they are not smart, especially after this story!

Click to expand...

A convert, I love it, Thorkim! A well bred, well raised German Shepherd is one heck of a pooch. For that matter, any dog, purebred or mixed breed with a solid temperament who is raised properly is an invaluable companion.

It used to be that most Police, "Civil" Dogs were intentionally not selected for approachability in their temperament, and they were intentionally not socialized as youngsters in order for them to be, "better" at their jobs. This is not so much the case anymore. Most Police dogs are bred and selected for not only their drive, courage, and work ethic; but, for their innate acceptance of humans. They are usually very well socialized from the time they are young puppies, and they have rock solid temperaments overall.

Many of them are safe around children and adults. In fact, many of them are LESS likely to inappropriately bite then the average pet dog. Many of these noble creatures work and then go home with their partner's family, where they play ball with the children, swim in the pool, and live in the home. This is just one more thing I love about these wondrous dogs.

Lion

This is a classic story--Its so nice to read a great story like this after all the bad press about dogs killing people--This dog is a true hero indeed